Social Workers' clinical interventions improve the client's financial life

Successful interventions have these features:
1. Make resources available, when needed, to prevent client deterioration;
2. Withhold support when not needed or when support can be had elsewhere;
3. Assess resource need in every encounter. Stability is a core component of functioning;
4. Observe, start small, give only what is needed.
5. Be especially grateful to have participated in your client's progress

The CarefulGiving model offers adjunct treatment support for social work practitioners especially in regard to financial interventions. It provides education and resources for prudent and clinically appropriate financial support for their clients. Financial constraints are often a major source of clients' inability to grow in self determination. Financial interventions facilitate nearly all other therapeutic interventions in clinical practice.

These interventions alleviate panic in clients who are stressed, anxious, depressed and often suicidal when overwhelmed by financial need. Clients like this have poor financial skills. The result of direct financial interventions has been consistently positive in overall changes in clients' behavior.

As clinicians, we focus on the three basic components for mental health: a stable home, sufficient income to pay bills, and community involvement. CarefulGiving Corporation requires and advocates for the first, a stable home; supplies and educates for the second, financial competence; and supplements the third component, Community, by being the start of community in the therapeutic relationship. The last component, community, is so important that its lack undermines the other two. All are addressed as part of the social work intervention.